


Messes Of Many Kinds (The Clean Up Is Always Worth It)

by DobbyRocksSocks



Series: IronShield [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings, Natasha is the best bro, Natasha loves Tony, Steve is a bit of an ass but at least he knows that and wants to fix the thing, Team is a Family, and Tony is very forgiving, because canon has too much ouch for me to deal with, but he's in love so it's okay, deaged, fits anywhere, rayguns, so I didn't with Canon ouches, with a lot of comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-15 07:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16928916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DobbyRocksSocks/pseuds/DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: Steve is a bit of an asshole, Tony is Deaged, Natasha is the best bro ever and the team is a family. What more do you need?





	Messes Of Many Kinds (The Clean Up Is Always Worth It)

**** He knows that he shouldn’t be jealous. 

Steve is happy. Bucky is alive and well and is becoming less and less murderous by the day. Which makes Steve more happy. 

So, Tony should be happy for Steve, right? 

And he is. He really, truly, honestly is very happy for Steve. He just… wishes that maybe Steve could remember that Tony… exists. 

You know, even if it’s just occasionally. 

Straightening his tie in the mirror, Tony sighed. Time for another night of schmoozing and pretending that he didn’t want to repulsor people in the face every time they touched him. He should be used to this, and yet, he’d gotten so used to having Steve at his side making it better, that he was really dreading the event. 

“You look good,” a voice from the door said. Tony smiled at Nat in the mirror as she came up beside him. 

“And you look beautiful,” he replied. 

“Where’s Steve? Shouldn’t he be getting ready to go?” 

Tony swallowed. “I’m pretty sure he’s not coming since he and Barnes went out for Pizza forty five minutes ago.” 

Nat blinked. “But… he knew about the Gala.” 

Shrugging, Tony turned his head to look at her. “It’s fine. You’ll be there, and Pep’s gonna be there.” 

“Steve  _ should  _ be there,” Nat replied. “I know he’s been busy with Barnes, but… when was the last time you actually saw him?” 

“Yesterday at breakfast,” Tony said promptly, stepping away from the mirror. 

“You mean, yesterday when he barely said morning to you because he was too busy talking to Bucky about the  _ good old days,  _ you mean?” 

“Yeah. Then.” 

Nat gave him a long look. “Jarvis, when was the last time Steve sought Tony out himself?” 

“Twenty four days ago, Agent Romanoff,” Jarvis replied, and they could both hear the coolness in the AI’s voice. 

“And what was that for, Jarvis?” Nat pushed. 

Tony sighed and looked down as Jarvis replied, “He wanted to know when Sir would be free to take a look at Mr Barnes’ arm.” 

“Tony,” Nat sighed. “This… it’s not right. Have you tried to speak to him?” 

“And say what?” Tony asked, raising his arms in a wide shrug. “I know that you’ve just been reunited with your best friend that you thought was dead, but pay attention to me immediately?” 

“In a word, yes. He needs to realise that just because Barnes is here, doesn’t mean that he can forget the relationships he’s built since he woke up.” 

Tony shook his head and offered her his arm, his media smile firmly fixed on his face. “I’m a big boy, Nat. I don’t need Steve to be around all the time to make me feel secure.” 

The look on her face told Tony that she didn’t believe him. 

He always knew she was smart. 

… 

The Gala was fine. 

Until it wasn’t. 

“Why is it always us?” Tony complained to Nat when Shield finally arrived to take the bad guy of the week away. 

“How are you feeling?” Nat asked, checking him over with a critical eye. 

“Fine,” Tony replied with a shrug. “Whatever he shot me with was clearly a fail. I don’t feel any different.” 

Nat nodded slowly. “Just… keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, kay?” 

“Course,” Tony agreed. “Can we just… go home. I’m so done.” 

“Sure, Tony.” 

They got into the car as soon as Happy pulled it around, and Tony leant against Nat in the backseat. She ran her fingers through his hair gently. 

Even when the villain’s weren’t bad, Tony always needed a little comfort after a fight. Natasha cursed Steve silently in her head as they made their way back to the tower. She was worried about whatever the ray gun thing had been, and she knew that Steve would have been able to convince Tony to let someone stay with him. 

Instead, when they climbed into the elevator, she wasn’t even slightly surprised when Tony had Jarvis drop him off at the lab before he took Nat up to the Communal area. 

“Steve will be worried, you should come up and let him see you’re okay,” she tried, even though she knew it was pointless. 

Tony smiled sadly and shook his head. “Sleep well, Tash,” he murmured, turning away as the doors closed. 

Shedding his jacket and tie, Tony undid the top two buttons of his shirt and pushed his sleeves up. “Gimme whatever we were working on last, J.” 

His state of mind must have been obvious even to his AI, because Jarvis didn’t argue. He simply pulled up the blue holo-screens and stayed silent. 

Tony worked for a while, sinking into the schematics. He could feel an… odd sensation in his limbs, and he swayed slightly. 

“Sir-” 

“J, I don’t… I don’t feel so good.” 

“Sir,” Jarvis shouted, when Tony swayed again and then collapsed to the floor. 

… 

Nat rode up to the communal floor and stepped out of the elevator. Clint and Bruce looked her way immediately. 

“Everything okay?” Clint asked. “You are Tony are both fine?” 

Nat nodded, her head tilting slightly as she stared at Steve and Bucky on the sofa. Steve had a pinched look on his face, which told her that he  _ was  _ worried, and yet… he hadn’t asked. 

“I’m fine,” she said, when Clint walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to lead her deeper into the room. Focusing on Bruce, she added, “Tony got hit with some kind of ray thing. Nothing happened, and he says that he didn’t feel anything, but… keep an eye on him, yeah?” 

Bruce nodded, looking between Nat and Steve for a minute. He scowled suddenly, and she patted his shoulder. “I know.” 

“It’s not right, Nat.” 

“I know that too.” 

“What’s not right?” Steve asked, frowning over at them. 

“If you need to ask, you really do need to get a handle on your priorities,” Clint said, shaking his head. “Cause even  _ I  _ know what’s up.” 

Steve looked between them, clearly annoyed. “Will someone just tell me what’s going on? I can’t fix something if I don’t know there’s a problem.” 

“When was the last time you saw Tony, Steve?” Natasha asked, her voice practically dripping with poison. 

“I saw him yesterday at breakfast,” Steve replied. “Why, is there something wrong with him?” 

“When was the last time you saw Tony for more than five minutes,” she asked, tilting her head. 

“I, it was, I don’t know, a few days ago? I’ve been busy, Nat.” 

“The last time you spent more than five minutes with Tony was twenty four days ago, and the only reason you saw him then was because you wanted to ask him to work on Barnes’ arm,” she corrected. “I get that you need to help your friend, and I even understand that you want to spend time with him, but to completely neglect your partner to do that is cruel, Steve. Especially when that partner is Tony, and you know his issues have issues.” 

Before Steve could argue, and really, Nat was interested to know just how he planned to defend himself, Jarvis spoke. 

“Agent Romanoff, Dr Banner, there’s a situation in the lab. If I might ask you to enter the elevator immediately?” 

Nat and Bruce stood up and quickly made their way to the elevator.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked. 

Jarvis’ muteness as the doors slid closed spoke volumes. 

… 

The doors opened to the lab, and Natasha stepped out first, freezing when she laid her eyes on Tony. Bruce, following her, walked into her back. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking over her shoulder. “Oh, my god.” 

“J?” Nat asked, her voice little more than a whisper. 

“It would appear that whatever the raygun Sir was hit with earlier this evening has finally had its effect.” 

The sound of Jarvis’ voice alerted Tony to his visitors, and he turned to look at them. He was trembling slightly, and his eyes were filled with unshed tears, his lower lip wobbling adorable. 

“Oh, Tones, don’t cry, sweetheart,” Natasha murmured, moving forward slowly. She knelt down beside him, stroking her thumb across his cheek. “It’ll be okay.” 

Tony seemed to hesitate for a moment before he made grabby hands at her. Natasha looked back at Bruce, who nodded to her, and she gently lifted her friend into her arms. He immediately snuggled into her side, his head against her shoulder. 

“Well, shit,” Nat murmured, looking helplessly at Bruce. “What the hell are we supposed to do with a toddler?” 

… 

In the communal room, Steve asked Jarvis for information a few times, sighing frustratedly when the AI ignored him. 

“What’s… what’s going on Stevie?” Bucky asked, chewing his bottom lip. “Natasha said… Tony’s your partner?” 

“I,” Steve paused, running a hand through his hair. “Before you came here, Tony and I were in a relationship.” 

Clint snorted, shaking his head. He left the room when Steve glared at him, muttering the whole way about idiot super soldiers. 

“Did you… break up because of me?” 

“We haven’t broken up,” Steve replied. “I just… I guess I lost track of time? I don’t know, Buck. I got caught up with helping you, and having you back and I just…” 

“What the hell, Steve?” Bucky asked, wacking his arm. “I’ve been here for over a month!” 

“I know! I know I messed up, okay? I just… having you back, it was like being back before the ice. At first, I thought it would be okay, I could just explain to Tony that you needed me at the moment, but then the more days passed and I just… didn’t, I guess.” 

“I’m surprised he didn’t chuck you out on your ass,” Bucky said, shaking his head. “You can be a bloody idiot, Steve.” 

“I… You’re not wrong. I’ll talk to him.” 

“I’d recommend starting with diamonds and working up from that.” 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Tony… I know you don’t really know him but… It’s so easy for me to get caught up in him. He’s brilliant, you know? And when he focuses on you, it’s just… it’s amazing. And I didn’t want to get too caught up in him in case you needed me. I fucked up, Buck.” 

“I’m still saying go with diamonds.” 

The doors of the elevator opened, and Natasha stepped out, a little boy nestled in her arms. 

“Where’s Clint?” she asked, looking around the room. 

Bucky waved towards the kitchen. “He went that way. Where’d the kid come from?” 

Steve’s face was paling by the second. “Nat? Nat, is that…?” 

She walked past them into the kitchen, Steve hot on her heels. Clint was by the coffee maker, and his eyes widened when he saw the little boy in Nat’s arms. 

“Guess we know what the ray thing was then, huh?” he asked. 

“Jarvis is letting Fury know, but for now, we need some supplies. Jarvis has an order coming in tomorrow, but for now he needs at least a couple of outfits, nappies, and a pacifier just in case. Can you head down to the superstore and pick up a few bits?” 

“Yeah, of course. Do you have an approximate age for him?” 

“Jarvis scanned him and said eighteen to twenty four months.” 

Clint nodded looking thoughtful. “I’ll pick up some baby snacks too then. He might not like much normal food yet.” 

Natasha smiled at him. “Thanks, Clint.” 

“Nat,” Steve whispered. “Please. I know I messed up, I’ll fix it, just please, tell me what’s going on?” 

She eyed him narrowly for a moment, before sighing. “The fight at the Gala. The guy hit Tony with some sort of ray gun, but we didn’t think it worked since he felt fine. I’m guessing now that we were wrong.” 

She looked down at the baby in her arms. He was looking up at her silently, his little hand gripping the top of her t-shirt. She’d wrapped him in a blanket before leaving the lab, but he still trembled a little in her arms. 

They went back into the living room, and she sat down in the armchair, wrapping the blanket tighter around Tony as she held him close, rocking him slightly almost by instinct. 

“He’s adorable,” Bucky whispered, his eyes on Tony. 

Steve chuckled. “He always had a weakness for babies,” he told Nat. “And small animals.” 

They all watched as Tony’s eyes dropped, his clinging grip never faltering on Nat’s shirt. He fell asleep within minutes, and Nat slowed her rocking to a stop. 

“He was exhausted anyway,” she murmured, when she saw the surprise on Steve’s face. “This little body can’t handle that the way his adult self can.” 

Steve nodded. “Can I… can I hold him?” 

“Can you pick him up without disturbing him?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at him. Steve took one look at the hand gripping Nat’s shirt and slumped back in his seat.

“We don’t know how long this is going to last, Steve, but I’m sure you’ll have an opportunity to hold him before he turns back into an adult.” 

Steve nodded, and they fell into silence until Clint returned with bags hanging off his arms. Nat stared at him for a long moment before she chuckled. 

“I, uh, went a bit overboard?” he offered, dropping the bags in the middle of the lounge. Dropping to his knees, he opened the bags one by one, first pulling out the necessities of nappies, snack foods, wipes and a pack of three pacifiers. 

Moving on to the next bag, he pulled a pile of rompers out. “They were all adorable,” he muttered in his own defence. He showed them one by one, and smirked smugly when Bucky cooed at every single one of them. 

Even Natasha smiled when she saw the Iron Man romper. 

From the last bag, he pulled a teddy and a blanket, glaring at his teammates as if he was daring them to comment. 

Nat glanced down at Tony. “I don’t want to wake him, but I also don’t want him to pee all over me,” she said softly. “So I think I’m going to have to disturb him.” 

Clint shuffled over and carefully pulled Tony’s hand from Natasha’s shirt. He lifted Tony expertly and laid him out on the floor, all without waking him up. Natasha raised her eyebrow, impressed. 

Clint put a nappy on Tony, and then easily got him into the Iron Man romper and then wrapped in his new blanket. 

“That… was fucking impressive,” Bucky said, eyes wide as he stared at the still sleeping Tony. 

Clint grinned and then offered the newly wrapped toddler back to Natasha. Natasha moved to take him and then sighed, nodding her head to Steve who was watching on with pained eyes. 

“Give him to Steve,” she murmured. “I’m going to go and make my bed a little more child friendly. Pillows either side should keep him in place, right?” 

Clint nodded. “Put him wall side and you sleep on the other side. You’re a light enough sleeper that he won’t get anywhere without waking you up.” 

Nat nodded and left the room as Clint carefully passed Tony over to Steve. The little boy looked even smaller, dwarfed as he was by Steve’s muscled arms, and Clint murmured to Jarvis to take a picture of the scene. 

As much as he understood why Bruce and Nat were pissed at Steve, he was too, but he knew that Steve wasn’t a bad person. He could understand getting so wrapped up in one thing that everything else falls to the wayside. 

Bucky leant over slightly so he had a better view of Tony and practically melted. Who knew that the Winter Soldier could be thawed out by a baby? 

…

Nat woke up to a quiet whimper. She glanced around the room looking for a threat before she shuffled across the bed to check on Tony. He was awake, chewing on his thumb, but there were tears in his eyes and the poor kid just looked miserable. 

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” she asked, knowing she wouldn’t receive an answer. She sat up and pulled him onto her lap, running a hand under his bum to see if he’d wet through the nappy. 

He hadn’t. 

“Jarvis, what time is it?” 

“The time is seven twenty one am, Agent Romanoff.” 

She nodded, sitting Tony back against the headboard for a moment. She pulled pillows around him so he wouldn’t fall and climbed out of bed, grabbing a hoodie to go over the tank top she’d worn to bed. 

Sportswear wasn’t something she generally wore, but she figured it was probably easiest, until she could hand Tony to someone else so she could get herself ready for the day. 

She grabbed a clean nappy and a fresh romper and returned to the bed, stripping Tony quickly and tickling his belly. He giggled around his thumb and she couldn’t help but laugh with him, cute as he was. 

When she had him dressed again, she placed tony on the floor and asked Jarvis to keep an eye on him while she was in the bathroom. She was sure there was nothing on floor level that he could hurt himself on. 

She was surprised, when she came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, to find him sitting exactly where she’d left him. She’d always expected Tony to be as curious as a child as he was as an adult. 

She picked him up and made her way up to the communal floor, where Clint, Steve and Bucky were all sitting around the table, joined by Sam and Rhodes. 

“Jesus, he’s cute,” Rhodes said when Natasha came into view. “What happened to turn that little angel into the terror he is now?” 

Natasha laughed and passed Tony off to the waiting Rhodes, who immediately started babbling nonsense at the toddler and tickled him until he was laughing up a storm. 

“Clint?” she asked, looking at the baby snacks he’d picked up. “Help?” 

“Things he can pick up himself,” Clint said, throwing a piece of bread into the toaster. “Fruit, a packet of those little biscuits there, a slice of toast and fill one of the bottles with the apple juice I got for him.” 

Nat nodded and within minutes had a little plate set up for Tony along with a bottle. She took it to the table and took Tony from Rhodes, setting him on her lap within reach of the plate. 

With encouragement, Tony helped himself to the food, chewing away quietly while the adults talked around him. 

“The order Jarvis put in should be here within the next hour,” Clint told her. “And Bruce has started analysing the raygun Fury sent over first thing. Fury is also trying to get in touch with Strange, in case they can’t get a cure out of the wanker who did this to him.” 

“Has Pepper been informed?” Nat asked, handing Tony the bottle of juice. 

Rhodes nodded. “Jarvis let us both know last night. Pep will be by later.” 

Nat smiled and looked down at Tony, who was still munching happily. The others started talking amongst themselves, but she paid them no mind. 

She’d never had much of a maternal instinct, and she’d never wanted kids of her own, but… just for now, she allowed herself to enjoy the weight of him in her lap, and she allowed herself to smile when he looked up at her with bright eyes and a shy smile. 

She wondered if perhaps it was because she knew that this child was Tony; her Tony. She didn’t claim many people, but when she did claim them as hers, she’d do anything for them. She’d claimed Tony when she’d realised just how bad she’d messed up his initial personality profile for Fury. 

He was nothing like what she’d said. Tony was a misunderstood, lonely man with a million masks that were fortified enough that  they’d fooled even her for a while. 

By the time Tony’d finished eating, the supplies Jarvis had ordered had arrived, and along with Clint, they got him set up in the living area in a play pen with a few toys while they sorted out the rest of the items. 

He played quietly, amusing himself happily while they worked and by the time Pepper arrived a few hours later, it was to find the communal area filled with toddler things and the Avengers all sitting on the floor with Tony, building bricks all around them. 

…

They fell into a pattern over the following days. Tony slept in Natasha’s room at night, snuggled into a small cot at the side of her bed. During the day, Bucky would often be the one to feed him, since Tony was obsessed with his shiny metal arm. Clint would play with him for hours, and Steve and Natasha were always on hand when he was tired or just wanted a cuddle. 

Natasha was his favourite though. He’d toddle about after her whenever she was in the room, making grabby hands and whimpering around his dummy whenever she left him with someone else. 

Natasha assured Steve it was just because she was a woman, but none of them believed her. When Pepper was around, Tony was just as likely to go to one of the men over her. 

Tony had been a toddler for six days before they finally made any progress. Bruce had, over the week, managed to reverse the raygun’s ray. He’d tested it as thoroughly as he could before he’d managed to stumble up to the communal room. 

He was exhausted, but pleased and he nodded to Nat when her eyes fell on the gun. 

“You’re sure?” she asked, looking down at the sleeping child. 

“Positive,” he replied. “I wouldn’t chance it if I wasn’t.” 

Nat nodded. “I know, I’m sorry, Bruce. I just… he doesn’t deserve any more pain, you know?” 

He smiled. “I get it. Can you put him on the floor, just while I zap him? It should take about the same amount of time to work as it did to change him.” 

Nat swallowed hard, pressing a kiss to Tony’s temple, before she did as he asked. Clint, Steve and Bucky arrived just in time to see the blue light enveloping Tony for a brief flash. 

“Is he…?” 

“Tony will be back to normal within a few hours,” Natasha confirmed quietly. 

Steve nodded. They were all conflicted. They wanted  _ their  _ Tony back, but baby Tony had really bonded them more as a team. 

“Can I cuddle him until he changes?” Steve asked, looking down at the little boy. 

Nat hesitated for a moment. How would Tony feel, after the way Steve had treated him for the past month, to wake up lying on him? She wanted to say no, wanted to tell Steve to leave Tony alone, wanted to cuddle him up with her instead, but she couldn’t, because she knew how much Steve  _ wanted  _ to fix things. 

She nodded mutely. She watched him pick Tony up gently, laying them both out on the sofa, Tony sprawled on his chest. 

“Hey, Nat?” Clint murmured. She looked at him, could see the understanding in his eyes. “How about we go do some work in the gym, huh?” 

She nodded gratefully. 

“Room for one more?” Bucky asked, casting a look at Steve and Tony. “I think that’s a reunion that should be done alone.” 

Nat nodded, and along with Bruce, who wanted nothing more than his bed, they left the room. 

…

Steve stroked his hand up and down Tony’s back gently. Knowing that within hours he’d have his Tony back was filling him with nerves. He had to find a way to make Tony understand that he loved him, that he would always love him. 

He had to try and explain that his lack of… anything in the last month had been Steve’s fault, because if Steve knew anything about Tony, it was that he took blame on himself for no reason far too often. 

Tony snuffled against his chest, turning his head and burrowing even closer into Steve’s warmth. He buried his face against Steve’s neck and his little hand rested against Steve’s jugular. 

Steve smiled and closed his eyes. He had a lot of making up to do, he knew. He only hoped Tony would give him the opportunity to do so. 

…

Tony woke slowly, blinking against the light in the room. He felt odd, cloudy almost. He saw up, frowning when he realised he’d been sprawled all over Steve. What the hell had happened? 

Last he was aware, he’d been in the lab and Steve was… not there. 

“Tony?” Steve murmured, opening his eyes to look at him. “Oh, hey, you’re back.” 

“Where did I go?” Tony asked, rubbing at his temple. His head hurt, and it was getting worse by the second. “What… why does my…?” 

A barrage of memories assaulted him, forcing their way into his brain at a speed too fast to truly process. He saw flashes of himself as a small boy, lying with Natasha, building a block tower with Clint and even one of Bucky feeding him something mushed up and disgusting looking. 

“I, erm, I’m just going to… go,” he muttered, clambering off Steve’s knee. 

“Tony, wait,” Steve pleaded, sitting up and reaching for Tony’s hand. 

“I, um. No. I’m going to -” Tony cut himself off, practically running for the elevator. He had to get out of there, had to get back to the safety of his lab. 

The memories were still coming, and he felt a further loss of dignity at each one. 

He’d cried out for them when he’d had nightmares, for fucks sake. They’d changed his nappies. How the hell was he supposed to look at any of his teammates in the eye ever again? 

Hell, he even had memories of Rhodey and Pepper doting on him. He shook his head, rubbing his temple. 

He had no idea how to process any of this, but first things first, he needed a shower, clothes and a seriously stiff drink. 

…

“Tony, please,” Steve begged at the door of the lab. “Just let me in,  _ please _ .” 

Silence reigned, as it had for the last three days. Steve had spent almost all of the three days sitting outside the lab, leaving only for bathroom breaks and to grab snacks from the kitchen. 

Tony hadn’t been seen since he’d run from the living room,  and he wouldn’t let anybody into the lab. 

Steve knew that, technically, he could get in because he had the override, but he was also very reluctant to use that. As determined as he was to speak to Tony, he was more determined to not break Tony’s trust. 

Those overrides were for emergencies only, and this, as dire as it felt, wasn’t an emergency. 

“Still no sightings of the elusive genius?” Nat asked as she stepped out of the elevator. 

Steve shook his head, leaning back against the wall. 

“What do I do, Nat? Do I keep waiting here? Do I give him space? I don’t… I don’t know what to do.” 

She shook her head. “I don’t either. He’s gotta come out of there sometime though.” 

Steve smiled. “I’ve always been stubborn.” 

“Time to put it to use then, Soldier.” 

… 

Tony was eventually forced from the lab a week after he’d turned back into an adult when the Avenger’s Alarm sounded through the tower. 

He knew he was being stupid, even Jarvis had practically told him as much, but he just… didn’t particularly want to face any of them. He wasn’t even sure if he was still embarrassed, none of what had happened had been his fault and his memories of being a child had settled enough for him to know that they’d genuinely enjoyed having him there. 

He just… didn’t really want to talk about it. 

He didn’t want to deal with the consequences of any of it, and he certainly didn’t want to have  _ that  _ conversation with Steve. The problem, of course, was that Steve was the most stubborn person  _ on the planet _ . 

Not even Tony could outstubborn him, and honestly, he didn’t think he was stupid enough to try. At the moment he was just… regrouping. 

Okay, he was hiding, but… regrouping sounded better. 

When the Alarm sounded, Tony didn’t hesitate. His personal issues were not and never would be more important than a call to assemble. 

He left the lab quickly and made his way up to the landing pad, standing still while the suit pieced together around him. 

“What’ve we got?” he asked, as the comms connected. 

“Tony,” Steve said, and his voice was full of warmth and fondness. “Doom’s at it again and the Fantastic Four are off planet so it’s up to us to deal with it.” 

“Of course they are. Bloody  _ useless four  _ would be a better name for them,” Tony grumbled. 

He landed beside the jet a few minutes later, and found his team waiting for him. 

“Let’s get this dealt with, shall we?” he said, flipping his face plate up for a moment. “I’ll take the sky and guide you all to where you’re needed?” 

“Gimme a lift?” Clint asked, raising his eyebrow. 

“Sure thing, Legolas. You know the deal, better clench up.” 

Clint laughed as Tony gripped hold of him. For a moment, Tony’s eyes met Steve’s and the longing and affection looking back at him threatened to take the breath from his lungs. 

His face plate came down and he fired up his repulsors, but he promised himself silently that after, when they were all back and safe in the tower, he’d talk to Steve. 

… 

The armour fell way as Tony walked down the strip into the tower, and he wasn’t surprised to find the team in the communal living room. They were all feigning casual poses, but he wasn’t stupid. 

“Takeaway and a movie?” he asked, offering up their usual post battle routine as something of a peace offering. 

Varying noises of agreement were made, and Tony instructed Jarvis to just go ahead and order everyone’s favourites.  He moved deeper into the room and was suddenly struck with the thought that he didn’t know where to sit. There was an armchair free, but his usual seat by Steve was also free and he  _ didn’t know what to do.  _

He caught Nat’s eye, and she subtly nodded her head to the seat beside Steve. Tony took a breath and then did as she said, slumping into the seat beside Steve. The sofa cushion was tilted slightly, which meant that when Tony slumped down, he ended up pressed against Steve’s side. 

When he felt the Super Soldier tense, his heart sunk, and he shifted as quickly as he could. Before he could move away, Steve lifted his arm and wrapped it securely around Tony’s shoulders, pressing him back into his side and against his chest. 

Tony stiffened for a moment before he melted into Steve’s warmth. He felt Steve press a kiss to his head and he closed his eyes, relishing the familiar feeling of being enveloped in the man he loved. 

Bucky entered the room a few minutes later, having being left behind on the mission since he still wasn’t cleared yet, and he didn’t even hesitate to throw himself into the armchair instead, grinning at Steve. 

“What are we watching?” Bruce asked, looking around. 

“Lord of the Rings!” Clint requested exuberantly, the same way he always did. 

He was usually shot down by someone, but this time, Tony just shrugged and didn’t bother opening his eyes, Nat leant into Bruce and smiled at Clint, Bucky had never seen it so didn’t know better, and Steve was focused so much on Tony that the rest of the team doubted he’d even heard the suggestion. 

“Lord of the Rings it is,” Bruce said with a shrug, and seconds later, Jarvis had the movie queued up on the screen. 

By the time the food arrived, Tony was so sleepy that Steve ended up practically feeding him to make sure he ate. Steve loved every second of it. 

… 

Tony woke up slowly. He was tucked up against Steve, and the team were all sitting where they had been when he fell asleep, only they were all fast asleep themselves. Tony pulled away from Steve enough to see that he was the only one still awake. 

“Please don’t run away again,” Steve begged. 

Tony shook his head, stretching his back. He offered Steve his hand and then stood, tugging Steve gently. He led them to the elevator, and had Jarvis take them up to the penthouse. 

“Shower,” Tony murmured, still pulling Steve with him. 

It was a ritual that followed so naturally to the one that the team had. They stripped silently and stepped into the large shower, washing themselves and each other gently. Steve was crying, letting his tears mingle with the water from the shower. 

Tony didn’t say anything. He pressed a soft kiss to Steve’s shoulder and then tugged him down so he could wash Steve’s hair. Steve hugged Tony’s middle while Tony’s fingers massaged the shampoo into his hair. 

Eventually, both of them clean and warm, they got out of the shower and dried each other. Tony led Steve to the bed and they both climbed under the sheets, migrating into the middle until they were wrapped around each other. 

“I’m sorry,” Steve whispered into Tony’s hair. “I neglected you, and I treated you abysmally, and I’m sorry, Tony.” 

“It’s okay,” Tony replied. “It’s fine, I just… I wish you’d told me before. If you’d just said that you needed a little while to focus on Bucky…” 

“I know, sweetheart. I messed up, and I can’t promise I’ll never mess up again, but I promise I’ll never just abandon you again the way I did. I… I have no excuse for the way I behaved. I gave Natasha half assed reasons, and they weren’t lies but… there’s no reasonable explanation that I can give you. I behaved reprehensibly and… I’m sorry.” 

Tony burrowed closer to Steve. “Can we just… move on. Please. I don’t… want to think about it anymore.” 

“I love you,” Steve murmured. “So much, Tony.” 

“I love you too.” 

… 

Tony filled his coffee cup for the third time in ten minutes and turned away from the coffee maker, offering Steve a happy smile. 

“I gotta go, gorgeous,” he said. “Pep will kill me dead if I’m late, and then bring me back to endure the meeting anyway.” 

Steve snorted, shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous.” 

“You love me.” 

“You’re not wrong,” Steve replied, leaning down to kiss Tony. “I’ll see you later for the Gala, yeah?” 

“Uh huh. Later babe. Later, RoboBuck.” 

“Later Shellhead,” Bucky replied, lifting his coffee cup. 

Steve watched Tony leave before he turned to Bucky, who grinned at him. 

Steve smiled back. Life was good. 

 


End file.
